Measuring and bag-filling apparatus.



PAIENTBD SEPT. 22, 903.

A. J. JOHNSTON. MEASURING AND BAG FILLING APEARATUS.

AP YLIOATIOE nun um. 25. 1902. no xonnn. 2 sums-sum 1.

PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

A. J. JOHNSTDN. MEASURING ANDBAG FILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25. 1902.

H0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 co.. FWD-LUNG Msnmurn No. teases.

UN -3E S ES ANDREW JAMES JOHNSTON,

liatented September Q2, 1965;.

PATENT QFFICE on LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND,

$PEGIIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent b. 739,602, dated September 22, 1903. Applioation filed August 25, 1902. Serial No, 120,960. (No model-3 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW J AMES J OHN- STON, provision merchant, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in Liverpool,

in the county of. Lancaster, England, (whose nary 30, 1902,) of which the following is a specification.

The filling of small bags of sugar, tea, cereals, and other substances of a granular and pulverulent nature and weighing them' on scales, so as to contain the exact quantity required, has hitherto been a very tedious and laborious process.

My invention consists in providing an apparatus wherein given quantities of such substances can be measured automatically and filled into bags or other receptacles required with much greater economy of time and labor than by theusu'al hand method.

The invention 'will be understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a general view of the machine in perspective; Fig. 2, a vertical section; Fig. 3, a detail view, onan enlarged scale, of the upper valve and mechanism for operating same; Fig, 4, a detail view, on an en larged scale, of the lower valve Fig. 5, a detail View of an auxiliary measuring device.

A is a hollow cylinder or container having an outlet-valve B and an inlet-valve G. D is a hopper for filling said container A with the material required to be measured. These valves are alternating ones that is to say, when one has closed the other opens, and

vice versa, so that material is fed into the container from the hopper D, (which can be adjusted to hold any given quantity,) and when full the inlet-valve C is closed to cut oft the supply andthe outlet-valve opened to discharge the measured material through spout E into a bag or other receptacle.

F is a plate capable of vertical reciprocation in guides f; G, a pair of shutters forming the valve 0; H, stems projecting from the shutters G, which are pivoted at h and engage a cam -slot 1. They are guided by guidesg. The cam-slotl bifurcates at one point into vtwo separate slots 11 2'. Plate F is connected to and operated by a rod J, worked by a treadle K or handle. By depressing the treadle or handle, therefore, the plate J slides upward and the slots 7; converging together into the slot I cause the stems to come together, thus closing the shutters G, as shown in Fig. 3. The release of the treadle causes the plate F to descend into the position shown in Fig. 2, thus causing the shutters G to sep-- arate, thus opening the valve and permitting the material in the hopper D to flow into the container A. At one point in its length the rod J is provided with a toothed rack L, and this rod is provided with a sliding carriage M, having a pivoted arm N, which engages, by

means of a ,detent, the teeth of the rack L, so that it engages the teeth at any point in the length of the rack. The arm N being pivoted to the detent can be lifted clear of the teeth of the rack and enable the carriage to be adjusted in its position. The valve 13 is hinged and has a projecting arm 0 at rear, and this hinge is provided witha spring P, so that when the force that opened the valve is removed the valve will normally close by the action of the spring P. When the rod J rises and has nearly finished its stroke, this bracket N strikes the arm 0, and thus opens the valve B, whichthen assumes a sloping position (shown in Fig. 4) and causes the mate rial contained in the container to flow out into the bag or other receptacle underneath through the chute E. The closing of the valve takes place, however, before the arm N arrives at the valve-arm 0, this being eifected by the special shape of the cam-slots 711. The container A, which'measures the quantity of sugar or other granular material, is made adjustable, so as to measure any given quantity or quantities required. For this purpose the container A is 'made telescopicthat is to say, one part slides within the other part, the upper remains stationary, While the lower part, which is of larger diameter, is adapted to slide up and down outside it, and thus increase or decrease the containers interior capacity aud it is guided'by the guide-rods W, being provided with lugs X sliding up and down these rods W. This lower part has projections Q, through which passes a 5 w of the frame.

screwed spindle R. By turning the handle S the lower part of the container can be raised or lowered, and thusdecrease or increase the capacity thereof, and this capacity 5 can be adjusted to a great nicety. After adjustment of the lower part of the container A the bracket N is also adjusted in its position, so as to strike the valve-arm O immediately before the completion of the stroke 0f the rod J. This is efiected by simply disengaging the detent from the teeth of the rack and then sliding the carriage M either higher or lower, as required.

For, the purpose of increasing the extent of variations in the measuring capacity of the container I provide outside the upper part of the containerA a tube a, and outside this again a tube a, both arranged telescopically. The upward movement of the lower part of the container will first raise the part a and subsequently part a, thus greatly decreasing the eifective capacity of the container A When it is required to deliver small measured quantities of material. The lowering of A will liberate the parts a a, and

they will thus fall by their own weight into the position shown in Fig. 2.

When the machine is required to measure smaller quantities of material than the con- 0 tainer A is designed to hold, I provide an auxiliary container T, Fig. 5, which is inserted in the inside of the upper part of the main container A. Projecting pins U on the projecting flange of this auxiliary container fit into corresponding slots V, Fig. 2,

and hold it in position. The upper part of the container A is supported in guides to in the machine-frame in such a manner that by sliding the upper part a laterally it will clear 4:: the frame and enable it to be entirely return it will become disengaged from the pins and enable the entire lower valve to be removed when it is required to clean or repair the interior of the container.

In thus describing my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details described, as alterations can be made without departing from the nature of the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a simple construction of the arm N, which is also adjustable, lugs m being provided thereon to slidingly embrace the rod J, the fixing in position being effected by set-screw 0. The arm 0 has play between the projection N and a stop a, which is restricted by pin '19.

I declare that what I claim is- 1. In apparatus for measuring sugar, tea,

and other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature and filling them into bags or other receptacles, the combination of a pair of shutters adapted .to separate to open the inlet to the container, or close together when it is required to close it, a hinged valve at bottom of said container held normally closed by a spring, a vertical moving rod, means for actuating said rod, a projection on said rod, an arm on said hinged valve with which the projection engages, and a cam device on said rod adapted to operate said shutters to open them subsequent to the outlet-valve being closed or close them previous to it being opened, substantially as described. 7

2. In apparatus for measuring sugar, tea, and other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature and filling them into bags or other receptacles, a measuring-container made in parts adapted to slide one inside the others and be adjustable in regard to its internal capacity, in combination with a guiding device adapted to guide the movable part, and means for sliding the parts, said means consisting of a screwed shaft adapted to raise and lower the lower part of the container, and a collar or lid slidably mounted on the upper part of the container restricted as to its downward movement by projections at the lower extremity of the said upper part of the container, substantially as described.

3. In apparatus for measuring sugar, tea

and other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature, and filling them into bags or other receptacles, the combination of a measuring- IOO container made in two parts so as to slide one outside the other, a hinged outlet-valve controlling the outlet of said container, a vertical rod, means for vertically actuating said rod, and a projection on said rod, an arm with which said projection engages on said hinged valve, said projection being adjustable longitudinally on said rod, substantially as described.

4.. In apparatus for measuring sugar, tea, and other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature and filling them into bags or other receptacles, the combination of a measuringcontainer made in two parts so as to slide one outside the other, a hinged outlet-valve controlling the outlet of said container, a vertically-moving rod, means for actuating said rod, a lower projection on said rod together with an upper projection on said rod, an arm on said hinged valve, said arm being adapted to engage between said upper and lower projections, a set-screw on said upper projection adapted to adjust the play of said arm between the said projections, means for adjust-- ing said projections vertically on said rod, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus for measuring sugar, tea or other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature and filling them into bags or other receptacles a main container comprising an upper part and a lower part capable of adj ustment the one relative to the other, in combination with an auxiliary container of smaller diameter andadapted to be mounted within the main container whereby smaller quantities can be measured, substantially as described.

6. An apparatus for measuring sugar, tea, and other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature, and filling them into bags or other receptacles, comprising a container adapted to receive and contain the exact quantity required to be measured, means for feeding the material into said container, an inlet-valve on top of the container, said valve consisting of two shutters G carried by pivotally'mounted stems H, a cam-plate F having a slot 1 with bifurcations "i i adapted to receive the stems H, means adapted to be operatedby hand or foot for reciprocating the cam-plate F to open and close the. shutters G, an outlet-valve at the bottom of the 'container and means for opening and closing said outlet-valve in the same movement in such a manner that'the inlet-valve is opened subsequent to the closing of the outlet, and closed previous to the opening of the latter, substantially as described.

7. An apparatus for measuring sugar, tea, and other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature, and filling them into bags, comprising a container adapted to receive and contain the exact quantity required to be measured, means for feeding th'ematerial into said container, an inlet-valve on top of the container, a hinged outlet valve in the bottom of the container, a rod adapted to be reciprocated vertically by hand or foot, means adapted to be, actuated by said rod to open and close the inlet-valve, a projection N pivotally mounted on a slide on said rod and having a detent to engage a rack on the rod, an arm on the hinged valve adapted to be engaged by projection N in the reciprocation of'the rod to actuate the opening and closing of said hinged valve, the projection N being adjustable longitudinally on the rod," substantially,

as described.

8. An apparatus for measuring sugar, tea, and other materials of a granular or pulverulent nature, and filling them into bags, comprising a'container adapted to receive and contain the exact quantity required to be measured,- means for feeding the material int-o said container, an inlet-valve on top of the container, an outlet-valve at the bottom thereof, said outlet-valve having a bayonetjoint connection to the container, a dischargechute loosely hung below the outlet-valve on hooked rods carried by projections extending outwardly from upright portions of the frame, and means adapted to be worked by hand or foot to open and close the two valves, the motions being so timed that the inlet-valve is opened subsequent to the closing of the outlet, and closed previous to the opening of the latter, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 12th day of August, 1902, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' ANDREW JAMES JOHNSTON.

Witnesses'i W. H. BEESTON, J. J. LEARY. 

